cadet blogs

Wait… final stretch of 4/c year? I don’t believe it. But it’s true! Coming back from Spring Break and leaving family and friends behind was not my favorite, but, seeing the Chapel spire as you cross the bridge over the Thames, you realize that you are in the last stretch of the worst year and after this, it all gets better! Just one quarter left, yet we all know it will be the worst quarter. Cumulative finals, final papers and reports, presentations and oh… Boards. If you don’t know, Boards are the 4/c oral test to make sure that every 4/c knows basic sea knowledge, history and customs to be a functioning member of the operational Coast Guard on our summer assignments. It's what all the 4/c are stressing about and it will keep stressing us until about April 15th. Once we pass Boards, we have Challenge of the Guardsman, which is a version of Sea Trials that is meant to be our “cumulative event” of being a 4/c and transitioning into the small leadership position of a 3/c. We have a lot on our plates, yet we keep looking toward the finish line, well the break point, for we are never truly finished.

End of March and beginning of April is a pretty exciting time around here: the firsties find out where they will be stationed for their first assignment, 4/c start earning privileges like playing music out loud or wardroom carry on, and the corps is doing a lot of events. Last Friday we had the Ethics Forum, which is on a Friday where all the cadets go to sessions on ethics instead of classes. It is really good information on how to be an ethical leader in stressful and challenging situations. I went to three sessions, one by a retired Army Major General, one by a reservist Marine Corps Corporal working at Lockhead Martin, and one by a Navy Captain and distinguished pilot. All of their themes were the same, all with different sea stories, war stories, or business stories that tied it all together. With all of their experience, they wanted us to take away that being a moral and ethical leader is essential for the success of the organization, the unit, and the individual. It was a great day meeting and hearing from people that most others wouldn't be able to hear from. We also have Eclipse Week coming up which is a week dedicated to learning about the benefits of having a diverse organization. A lot of people complain about having to go to these trainings, but its one of those things that sets us apart from civilian schools in that who gets to hear from these amazing speakers in a small environment and learn how to be leaders from the best leaders.

I’m not sure what it feels like to be hit with Mjolnir, Thor’s war hammer, but if I had to take a guess, I’d say it feels like something similar to what us freshmen are feeling now.

The first semester, for the most part, was still a transition phase for the fourth class into the corps of cadets. All we had to worry about was staying on top of our academics, sports, extracurricular activities, military obligations, and remaining sane; the latter being most difficult. However, this semester, on top of the previously mentioned, freshmen are preparing for a test to earn our place among the ranks of the upper class. This test is known as “Boards.”

The dreaded B-word is an indoctrination test, consisting of 10 questions, 8 of which must be answered correctly. The questions are drawn from any and all required Coast Guard or military-related knowledge, so studying adequately is crucial. A board of upper class cadets will test you and the 3/C (sophomores) will serve as your guides during this process.

As a class, certain privileges will be given if boards are passed. Simple things such as looking at our food or relaxing in the hallway are at stake so there is added pressure that we all pass this beast the first time.

It is almost time for summer and as Jets linebacker, Bart Scott, once said, “Can’t Wait!”

These last few months of school have been flying by, which brings joy to me because I am always looking forward to the future. However, sometimes I love to look back at everything that I have done and experienced, and I at some moments I am truly surprised by all that I have done. For instance, I never imagined in high school that I would be enrolled in the classes I am taking right now. I thought that AP Calculus was impossible in high school, and now I am taking Differential Equations; though I owe my success to all of my teachers that spend extra time with me whenever I struggle with topics. My life isn’t only academics though; I have been taking time out of my busy schedule to have fun, too.

Just in my recent past I went on spring break with my three best friends to Southern California and Nevada. It was an amazing event because I have only been to the West Coast twice, and it is great to spend time over there because it is such a different lifestyle. We did so much on spring break that I was exhausted when I returned to school. It was one of the best weeks of my life though, and I would not change anything about it if I were to do it again. The academic portion of the Academy can become very gruesome, but with the help of my friends and going out on trips like this, there is no doubt in my mind that I can make it through.